A 38-year-old Seattle woman has been charged with insurance fraud after allegedly smashing her Honda van into two parked cars, hopping into a friend's car to flee, and then filing an insurance claim saying the van had been stolen.
According to Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's anti-fraud team, the Special Investigations Unit, Luom Vo was driving on Seattle's Beacon Avenue just before 2 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2009. She hit two parked vehicles -- a Volvo station wagon and a Pontiac Vibe -- causing extensive damage. The van was disabled in the crash, which caused a total of nearly $26,000 in damage to the three vehicles.
People in nearby houses heard the crash and immediately went outside to see what had happened. They said they saw Vo get out of the van and into a white Chevrolet that sped away from the scene.
Later that day, Vo filed a claim with her insurer, PEMCO, saying that the van had been stolen. She subsequently insisted to a PEMCO investigator that she was not driving it when it was involved in the collision.
The SIU investigation found that the van had not been stolen, and that she was, in fact, behind the wheel.
She was charged with insurance fraud in King County Superior Court.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Everett man charged with fraud for allegedly getting insurance AFTER accident
A 40-year-old Everett man has been charged with insurance fraud after allegedly causing a three-car wreck -- with no insurance on the vehicle -- then going online to add coverage and subsequently filing a claim.
Mike Bieniek was driving his 1999 Ford F-150 last October when the accident happened. He filed a claim with his insurer, Geico Insurance. The resulting claims total thousands of dollars in vehicle damage and injuries. The State Patrol cited Bieniek, who rear-ended the car in front of him and pushed it into the next one, for tailgating.
According to Bieniek, he'd owned the truck for about five years, loaning it to sub-contractors helping him at job sites and relying on them to get insurance when they used it. He said a friend had returned the truck to him at a grocery parking lot, at which point he pulled out his laptop, went online to Geico's website, and added coverage for the truck. Shortly after pulling out of the parking lot, he said, he was involved in the collision.
But a subsequent investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's anti-fraud team, the Special Investigations Unit, determined that things didn't happen in quite that order.
The crash occurred at about 10:10 a.m., according to the police report and witnesses. It was more than half an hour later that Bieniek logged into Geico's website.
Bieniek was charged in King County Superior Court.
Mike Bieniek was driving his 1999 Ford F-150 last October when the accident happened. He filed a claim with his insurer, Geico Insurance. The resulting claims total thousands of dollars in vehicle damage and injuries. The State Patrol cited Bieniek, who rear-ended the car in front of him and pushed it into the next one, for tailgating.
According to Bieniek, he'd owned the truck for about five years, loaning it to sub-contractors helping him at job sites and relying on them to get insurance when they used it. He said a friend had returned the truck to him at a grocery parking lot, at which point he pulled out his laptop, went online to Geico's website, and added coverage for the truck. Shortly after pulling out of the parking lot, he said, he was involved in the collision.
But a subsequent investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's anti-fraud team, the Special Investigations Unit, determined that things didn't happen in quite that order.
The crash occurred at about 10:10 a.m., according to the police report and witnesses. It was more than half an hour later that Bieniek logged into Geico's website.
Bieniek was charged in King County Superior Court.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Can an insurer ask for my social security number?
That's a question -- or complaint, really -- that we get a lot. Consumers often aren't pleased with insurers asking for social security numbers to run insurance quotes.
Here's often why they do it: Your social security number is a key tool to quickly pull up your credit data, which is commonly used to quickly rate you as a risk and determine the rates you would pay for, say, auto insurance. (While Washington State Insurance Commissioner has repeatedly tried to ban this controversial practice, known as "credit scoring," there's nothing in Washington state or federal law to prohibit use of social security numbers by insurers.)
In other cases, however, insurers are actually required to collect it. Federal law requires many health insurers to report social security numbers in order for Medicare to properly coordinate Medicare payments with other insurance and workers' compensation benefits.
Here's often why they do it: Your social security number is a key tool to quickly pull up your credit data, which is commonly used to quickly rate you as a risk and determine the rates you would pay for, say, auto insurance. (While Washington State Insurance Commissioner has repeatedly tried to ban this controversial practice, known as "credit scoring," there's nothing in Washington state or federal law to prohibit use of social security numbers by insurers.)
In other cases, however, insurers are actually required to collect it. Federal law requires many health insurers to report social security numbers in order for Medicare to properly coordinate Medicare payments with other insurance and workers' compensation benefits.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Obama cancels appearance at NAIC in Seattle
Just got word from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners:
"Due to a White House scheduling change, President Obama will not attend the NAIC Summer National Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 17."
NY proposal to require P&C insurers to offer bedbug insurance
There's an interesting proposal out of the New York state assembly this week: Bedbug insurance. Two New York politicians reportedly intend to introduce bedbug insurance legislation that would require property and casualty insurers in that state to offer bedbug policies.
The problem, they say, is that insurers are currently classifying bedbug infestation as a standard maintenance issue -- meaning coverage is denied.
It's a serious problem, according to insurancenewsnet.com. Hotel owners and retailers need to think about the risks of business interruption, third-party liability claims and reputation damage, the site says.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Job opening: Health insurance rate review project manager
Insurance rates -- particularly in health care -- are coming under close scrutiny, both as a result of the new health care reform law and advocacy campaigns like the one currently underway by Consumers Union.
Due to a federal health care reform grant, we're seeking a health insurance rate review project manager to oversee the first phase of a rate review project. The pay is $84,000 annually. From the job announcement:
Due to a federal health care reform grant, we're seeking a health insurance rate review project manager to oversee the first phase of a rate review project. The pay is $84,000 annually. From the job announcement:
The successful candidate should have expert level project management experience in leading large projects. The incumbent will have broad experience leading project teams that possess diverse business and technical backgrounds and the ability to plan and facilitate stakeholder management. This candidate will need strong leadership, team building, planning and communication skills.Applications are due by 4:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010.
10 years or more experience managing large projects, preferably projects that are highly business driven. Business experience involving the insurance market domain is highly desired.
Obama to speak at National Insurance Commissioners Association meeting Tuesday in Seattle
President Obama will address the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at the group's summer meeting in Seattle on Tuesday, according to the White House.
Obama's topic -- and the topic of much of the six-day meeting -- will be health care reform and how the new law is being implemented. State insurance commissioners are on the front lines of implementation, trying to set up federally funded high-risk health insurance pools, overseeing insurer rate requests, preparing for health insurance exchanges, etc.
Health care was also very much the topic last September, when Vice President Joe Biden addressed the NAIC in Maryland. From that speech:
Obama's topic -- and the topic of much of the six-day meeting -- will be health care reform and how the new law is being implemented. State insurance commissioners are on the front lines of implementation, trying to set up federally funded high-risk health insurance pools, overseeing insurer rate requests, preparing for health insurance exchanges, etc.
Health care was also very much the topic last September, when Vice President Joe Biden addressed the NAIC in Maryland. From that speech:
You're the people that our people look to. So I want to thank you for being here at this moment. I want to thank you for your organization's profession of support for the need to make health care more affordable, accessible, and engage in reform, because you are the most influential people in our states to deal with this.
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